


Return to the Dark Kingdom

by Tlover



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon)
Genre: F/M, Gen, New Dream, Post series finale, Team Awesome, The Dark Kingdom, Violence is not too bad, got some Rapunzel and Lance content because we needed more of it, literally was dying to tell this story, temporary deaths
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:01:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28367334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tlover/pseuds/Tlover
Summary: Rapunzel and the gang return to the Dark Kingdom to celebrate the Festival of New Beginnings, a parade to celebrate the newly restored Dark Kingdom. But when angry, unrestful spirits attack the night, and put Eugene and Varian under a curse, it's up to Rapunzel, Lance, and the brotherhood to uncover a dark past before the curse takes its toll.
Relationships: Edmund & Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider, Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider & Varian, Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider/Rapunzel, Lance Strongbow & Kiera & Catelina, Quirin & Varian (Disney), Rapunzel & Lance Strongbow, Rapunzel & Varian (Disney)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 33





	Return to the Dark Kingdom

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! I'm back with another post series finale fic. And this one was a doozy, but also a fun one. I really hope you guys like this one. Especially if y'all wanted more Dark Kingdom lore and fun Raps and Lance content, and more of the brotherhood because darn it if the show didn't give it to us, I guess I had to do it. We also got a fun mix of Team Awesome and New Dream! Anyway yea hope you enjoy!

The Headless Pub had a rousing crowd on this particular night, but not much could be said. It was the night of The Festival of New Beginnings. The Queen Rapunzel, her husband Eugene, and close friends Varian and Lance had been invited to come join in the festival, and even perform in the parade. 

Eugene and Varian sat at a bar together, laughing harder than they ever did before, much to the Bartender’s dismay. 

“BARTENDER! GIVE ME ANOTHER ONE!” The slightly drunk Varian demanded, slamming his mug on the table. 

Bartender Manny, his name that is, gestured to Varian that he already had enough. 

His thick heavy accent made sure to pronounce that, “YOU ALREADY HAD TWO CUPS VARIAN!”

“And I WANT ANOTHER!” 

Eugene facepalmed as Varian slammed his fist on the table. “Why did I ever let him have liquor?” 

Rapunzel and Lance opened the door to the pub. “They should be here.” Rapunzel darted her eyes around the pub. It was crowded with a bunch of people getting ready for the festival. A festival that she, Lance, Eugene, and Varian were supposed to be getting ready for. A wine glass flew past Rapunzel and smashed against the wall. “Whoa. Rough crowd.” 

Lance wraps his hands around Rapunzel’s shoulders in a friendly manner. “Oh your majesty you know how it is. This is the first time in a couple decades that the Dark Kingdom has celebrated anything! They are just very excited to celebrate this new Dark Kingdom that they live in.”

Rapunzel smiles at Lance and continues looking around. “Well still no sign of Eugene and Varian.” 

The loud laughter of two familiar boys caught their attention. “There they are.” Lance points at a small crowd by the bar. Eugene and Lance had drawn in quite a crowd. 

Varian held his stomach, trying to tell a story, but his laughter could not be held in. “And then-and then,” he couldn’t stifle his laughter. “I said,” deepening his voice, “You’d be surprised what people will tell you for a cookie.” Varian and everyone bursted from laughter from Varian’s tale. 

Eyelids halfway drooping, Rapunzel and Lance knew they had to get them out of there. They sighed and walked over to the boys. “Okay party’s over for now.” The brunette grabbed her husband’s arm and helped him stand. “Eugene I told you not to let Varian have more than one drink.”

Eugene laughed, “Yeah well you never told me not to have more than one.” Lance picks up the laughing Varian off the stool and throws him over his shoulder. 

__________

Rapunzel set up the metallic machine that held in the fireworks. “Okay these are ready.” Rapunzel successfully put her hands on her hips. “Eep! Our float is going to be the best one!” She squeaked. 

.Eugene stepped next to her, “Yeah we really outdid ourselves Rapunzel. The designs you came up with were genius.” 

Rapunzel waves it off, “Oh it was nothing. Mixing both the Corona colors and Dark Kingdom colors was such a grand idea! It really shows the new beginning of our kingdoms.” 

“Yup, it sure does heh.” Eugene smiled. “Oh that reminds me.” Eugene pulls out a Dark Kingdom outfit. Black armor and a purple cape with the Dark Kingdom emblem embedded on it. It looked exactly like the outfit Eugene had on right now, but smaller. “Where’s Varian? I’d thought while you and Lance wear Coronian clothing, me and Varian should wear the Dark Kingdom armor.”

Rapunzel balled her fists in excitement. “Aww you guys are gonna be twinsies!” 

“We would be if I knew where he was.” Eugene shifted his left and right.

_ THUD! _

Rapunzel looked from the other side of the float. Varian was putting the finishing touches on the metallic canon. He had made fireworks to shoot from the cannon for when they will perform in the parade. He rubs his hands together. “Okay. Hopefully that doesn’t explode.” 

Rapunzel giggles, “It looks great Varian.” 

“Ah Varian! There you are. Look buddy I got us matching armor! Huhhhhh? Huhhhhh. Come on you know you love it.” He hands Varian the outfit. 

Varian holds it out and takes a good look at it. “Heh, thanks Eugene.” Varian ran his fingers through the cape, smiling at the Dark Kingdom emblem. What he was holding was just a part of his family’s history. 

__________

Eugene and Edmund walked down the hallway of the castle. The walls were barren compared to the mountains of portraits hung in the Corona castle. It seemed unusual that there were very little portraits hung on the wall. “Hey dad. How come there aren’t a lot of portraits of the royal families and friends that lived here?” 

Edmund stopped in his path. He rarely paid attention to the wall of portraits here that he himself didn’t notice. “Ahem. Well our family wasn’t one for royal portraits.” 

“Hm.” Eugene arched his brow, Odd answer but okay. 

“Now, son. How do you like our kingdom more now that there aren’t angry spirits trying to kill us.”

“It’s a bit better. You know personally I never thought we’d come back here. Let alone come back here to actually party instead of, you know, almost get killed.” Eugene laughed nervously. Honestly, he wasn’t expecting this night to be calm so far. “Yea I expected more life threatening situations.” 

“Well, it’s definitely under better circumstances.” Edmund laughed. 

“Indeed.” Eugene said. He continued looking at the empty walls. He then came to one with the brotherhood members, but as kids. He could tell by their likeness who each of them were. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the bottom corner of the portrait was missing. His dad was in the picture so there must have been another royal member who did not want his picture up there. It was very unusual that the royals wouldn’t want their portraits painted and hung in the castle. “Man I have a really weird family.” 

__________ 

Varian grinned widely, raising his eyebrows up and down at the mirror. He turned to the side, showing off the cape of the armor. Ruddiger climbed on top of the dresser, giving a thumbs up to Varian. Quirin knocked on the opened door, waiting to see if Varian was ready. “Well I never thought I’d see my son wearing armor.” 

Varian whirled around, “Yea, I can definitely pull this off heh. A mighty warrior of the brotherhood!” Varian triumphantly spoke. Quirin chuckled, watching his son embrace the past he kept so long a secret from him. He never thought he would ever be back here, let alone Varian along with him. 

Quirin had let Varian sleep in his old room from the castle. Despite the black rocks being destroyed, the room still looked to be as he had left it all those years ago. The danger had been eliminated, but the memories were still there. Back in the old corner, there was another bed. 

“Hey, dad, are you sure you don’t want to sleep in your bed tonight? There’s another one I can take in the corner.” 

Quirin stuttered, “N-no. It’s fine. We have plenty of rooms in the castle to sleep in. That one is sort of unstable. You can have my bed tonight.” 

“O-okay then.” Varian nodded timidly. Quirin left Varian to be. 

Ruddiger chattered, cuddling Varian’s leg as he tilted his head at the unstable bed. 

________

Everyone who had settled down in the Dark Kingdom or had come to visit were celebrating outside, playing music, eating foods, and playing games. Catelina and Kiera played games with some of the other kids. Rapunzel and the gang sat at a table together. Lance lovingly looked at his adopted daughters having fun. 

Rapunzel elbows Lance. “It’s been a year since you adopted Angry and Catelina.”

“And there’s more years to come.” Lance said tenderly. 

Varian talked to Eugene about his conversation with his dad. “I don’t know I just-” he sighed, “I feel like there may be another secret of the past my father is hiding from me again.” 

“Well why didn’t you ask?” Eugene asked, thinking that would have been the most obvious thing to do. 

Varian shrugged, “Well I- I don’t know. I didn’t want to bring back any painful memories. I didn’t want to push.” Varian looked at the courtyard. The people happily danced and ate with one another. “This festival is about new beginnings. We are celebrating the future of this kingdom not the past. There is a dark past that still dwells here. The black rocks may be gone, but that still doesn’t erase the damage that has been caused.” Eugene listened intensely. “The Dark Kingdom has suffered as much as we had, maybe even more. It’s best we don’t bring up its history.” 

“Okay.” Eugene tried to understand. “Then I don’t get it. It seems like it bothers you a lot not knowing, so why don’t you want to learn more?”

Varian squinted his cheeks, stifling his tears, “I want to know, but the pain those memories might bring.” He shut his eyes tightly. “I’m not sure I can handle it.” Eugene solemnly looked at Varian. He wanted to tell him he felt the same. He had so many questions to ask his dad, but he could never work up the courage to. 

“Varian I-”  _ Whoosh!  _ Before Eugene could say anything, an eerie breeze blew through the courtyard. 

The crowd gasped in agony. This breeze was not a regular gust of wind. It sent chills down the table where the gang sat. 

“Whoa!” Rapunzel held on to Eugene. She looked closely. The breeze was blue. This, was no wind. She had recognized the chill. “Spirits?”

“What?” Eugene whispered.

“These are ghosts.” Rapunzel confirmed. The spirits blew over everyone in the courtyard. All the candles and lanterns went out, putting them in complete darkness. 

“I’m scared.” Lance shrieked. He soon realized he couldn’t see his daughters. “Wait! Angry! Catelina!” 

Edmund and the rest of the brotherhood sat on the other side of the courtyard. They watched as these spirits terrorized the citizens.

“What is going on?” Adira grips her sword. 

“It seems there are still unrested spirits about.” Edmund glared at the spirits that chased the people and scared them. Blowing out the candles, and making it hard to see. Quirin’s heart beat faster. He couldn’t see Varian anywhere. “Son?”

_________

“Dad?” Varian called out. He couldn’t see his father anywhere. He couldn’t see very well. A large mist covered the whole area. Blood curdling screams could be heard from unknown spots. Varian’s heart beat fast. He started hyperventilating. 

Lance finally spotted Kiera and Catelina hiding under a table. “I got you girls!” He ran to the table and Rapunzel followed. 

Varian darted his eyes. Looking for familiar faces or anyone nearby. Everyone was in a state of panic. 

A young boy hid behind a rock. He was crying and looked lost. Varian furrowed his brows. He slid across the yard to the kid. He took his hand and led him away from the dangerous spirits. One apparition jump scared the boys. Its blank ghostly eyes shot fear into the young boy’s bones, crying harder. Varian led them both away from it. 

“What is going on?” Varian questioned as he frantically ran through the yard. 

“PAPA!” The kid cried. Varian stopped in his tracks. He saw the kid pointing at a man who was looking at their direction. Varian picked up the kid and ran to the father. 

“Oh Caleb.” The father, relieved, took his son in his arms and hugged him. “Oh thank you Varian.” 

Varian smiled, happy he could at least reunite a boy and his father. 

Through the mist, an arm grabbed Varian’s. He gasped and tried to escape it but it did not let go. Eugene quickly revealed himself. “Varian it’s me.” Varian didn’t know how to respond, considering the circumstances they were in. He ran into Eugene for a hug. Eugene wished their hug could last longer but they had to keep going. “Hey it’s gonna be okay Varian, but we have to keep moving.” He and Varian ran into the mist, hoping they could find a safe place. 

_________

Rapunzel and Lance helped the girls run through the mist. 

“I can’t see Eugene or Varian anywhere!” Rapunzel cried, desperately running through the mist. She squinted her eyes. 

“Rapunzel, you don’t think these are the same spirits that attacked us the last time we came to the Dark Kingdom, do you?”

Rapunzel did not answer, only breathed rapidly as she kept running. 

“Why are they attacking us?” Catelina asked. 

Rapunzel just kept running. To be honest, she wasn’t sure what was happening or why it was happening. She was lost in thought, until she bumped into someone who ran in the same direction as her. 

“Eugene?” Rapunzel hoped. 

“No, but close.” Edmund rubbed his forehead as he helped Rapunzel up. Adira, Hector, Quirin, and Edmund were all here. Everyone of them was here except for Eugene and Varian. 

“These are spirits of the kingdom’s past.” Edmund clarified as he looked around, recognizing some of the spirits’ faces. 

“I don’t get it. I thought we destroyed the statues.” Lance wondered. 

“Yes, the statues of past kings and queens. However, these spirits are the people. Servants, past knights, citizens who lived within the kingdom’s capital. I never thought there was a way for them to resurface in our world.” 

“So,” Rapunzel started, thinking she may have an idea, “if we found a way to put these spirits to rest, they’ll stop attacking us?”

“Something like that I suppose.” Uncertain, Edmund shrugged. 

Kiera kicks a rock, “Great, these spirits are going to ruin the festival.” 

“Uh we have bigger problems than the festival Angry. We still don’t know where Eugene and Lance are.” Rapunzel worried. 

“Well we have to find them.” Lance said. 

Quirin looked at the panicked people hopelessly running and hiding from the spirits. He and Edmund exchanged looks. Quirin walked up to Rapunzel. “No. You, Lance, and the brotherhood need to find them. Edmund and I can stay back and round everyone up in a safe place.”

Hector stood up, “You guys will need help. No one knows the castle better than I do. Adira can stay back and help look after the girls. I can be your guide.”

Rapunzel clapped her hands together, “Okay sounds like we have a plan...kinda.” She said, trying to sound as optimistic as possible. 

Kiera and Catelina ran to hug Lance. “Okay come here girls. Stay close to Adira and do what she tells you. We’ll be back.” 

“We’re not worried.” Kiera said. 

“We trust you.” Catelina added. 

Lance, Rapunzel, and Hector ran through the mist. 

________

Varian and Eugene didn’t know where they ran into. Eugene grabbed hold of what seemed to be a torch. “Ah ha.” 

“Uh Eugene?” Varian points to what appeared to be a whole tunnel of lava straight ahead. “We must be under the castle.” 

Eugene pursed his lips. “Well, it’s better than getting chased by countless angry spirits.” Eugene walked near the stream of lava and dipped a torch in it, lighting it up with flames. “Come on let’s keep going.” 

As they continued walking, Eugene noticed a ladder leading up to the inside of the castle. “There’s our way in!” Eugene whispered. He and Varian ran to the side of the wall. Suddenly, the lava bubbled. A quiet “help” whispered through it. 

“Wait.” Varian whispered. “What is…” Varian felt warmth on his face as he gazed at the lava. A skeleton rises from above the lava and grabs Varian’s arm. “AGH!” Varian screamed and rushed up the ladder. “Go, go, go!” The skeleton tried to grab him down but Eugene kicked its skull, knocking it down. 

“What the?” Puzzled, Eugene kept climbing up the ladder. These spirits were like none he had seen before. 

Varian and Eugene climbed through the hole and finally made it inside the castle. The room they came in was just as dark as the rest of the kingdom. It looked untouched. Dozens of portraits, some perfectly intact, some ripped apart. “What is this room?” Varian asked. The temperature was so low that he could see his breath. The drapes over the window were practically shredded. “Wha-”

“I don’t know what this room is?” Eugene looked. There were nothing but pictures and large portraits of....wait a minute. This room is filled with paintings. Royal paintings. Portraits. Portraits that should be hanging in the hallway. “That’s weird. My dad said our family didn’t like to have their portraits painted.” These portraits were of past kings and Queens, not just the ones of statues by people who delved in the kingdom and castle long before they were born, but the old kingdom as well. 

Varian eyed one portrait that caught his attention. He walked over to it, and as he recognized the familiar face, his pupils dilated as his eyes widened. This picture, which apparently had been tampered with judging by the tears on the edge, resembled a boy who looked just like Varian. He grabbed it. “Is this...my dad?” 

Eugene walked over and took a look. The ripped edges looked familiar. It matched the same tears he saw on the portrait earlier in the hallway. Eugene took the painting. “No. Your dad was already in the portrait I saw. This must be the missing piece of that same portrait. This could be a relative of yours. Someone from your dad’s family.”

And then it hit him. The other bed in his father’s room. Varian grabbed the piece and looked at it once more. “I think...I think this is my uncle.” The other bed. “My father had a brother and he never mentioned this to me.” Varian glared at the picture. Another one of his father’s lies. Varian stood motionless. 

“Varian?” Eugene asked if he was okay. Now was not the time to let emotions blind them into saving themselves and the kingdom. 

“I’m fine. I just- he had a brother. I knew he must have had family back here, but he never told me he wasn’t the only child. He never mentioned anything. And I found no trace of his brother how,.... H-how could he forget his own brother.” Varian needed to sit down. 

Eugene tried to ease the situation, “Maybe something terrible happened. Something he couldn’t bear to remember.” 

Varian bit his lip, “But...still....why would he want to forget his own brother?” 

Eugene offered no response except for a deep sigh. This was not something that could be easily justified. Quirin had a brother. One he pushed away from his life but why? What unfortunate turn of events led to forgetting him? Eugene knew Varian was not going to let this go until all the pieces of the puzzle came together. “Okay Varian I know you’re upset about this but we really need to go find the others.” Varian, furrowing brows, nodded his head. 

Eugene went to the door. He pulled the handle but it didn’t open. He pulled again. “Wow. My dad really didn’t want anyone to find this room huh.”

While Eugene constantly struggled with the door, Varian took one more look at the painting and the portraits. There has got to be a reason these were locked and stored away in an abandoned room.

Then it hit him. “Those spirits.” Varian muttered.

“Come again?” Eugene turned away from the door.

“The spirits that attacked us!” Varian spoke a little louder. “What if those spirits out there are the people in these portraits? Something caused them to reawaken and cause havoc. You know, spirits do like to cause havoc when reawaken.”

“I have had my experience with them before.” Eugene pointed out, remembering his unpleasant experience with his ghostly family. His spine chills just thinking about it. “That still doesn’t explain why they are awake now.”

Varian couldn’t figure it out either. They hadn’t done anything to anger the spirits, or he at least hoped not. Everyone was outside the courtyard when it happened. They were just celebrating and having fun. Unless that is what woke them from their graves. Varian’s chest heaved as he realized what angered the spirits of the past. “They were awakened because of the locked away portraits. They are angry because their portraits were ripped apart and thrown down here instead of the hallway.”

“These portraits have been down here for generations though. I-I don’t understand. Why now?” 

“It’s because of the Festival. Everyone is celebrating for a wonderful future to come.” Varian spoke as if there is no wonder in the festivity that surrounds them. “The festival-it just can’t happen. The parade is supposed to be about new beginnings,” Varian softly spoke, for he knew what had to be done. “Once we begin, no one will no longer dwell on the past. We have to bring it to light or it will be forgotten.” 

Eugene picked up the pieces. “Everyone had suffered for so long so the spirits were just hiding, but now that the kingdom is changing their ways and moving on…. the spirits of the past don’t feel content anymore. This is their last chance to be remembered.” 

“You most certainly are right!” Eugene and Varian gasped, wrapping their arms around each other. The skeleton that had attacked earlier had climbed through the hole. The literal bone chilling structure transformed into something more transparent. An apparition glowing blue in the sight of the boys. 

“Oh you have nothing to fear dear lads.” The spirit had a short beard, and was wearing a monocle. 

Eugene spots a portrait that resembled the spirit in front of them. Eugene trembled, “You’re-you’re-“ 

“Your old cousin Fleminguard my dear boy.” The spirit introduced himself.

Nervously laughing, Eugene grabbed Varian’s shoulders, “Hahaha okay. This is this…. I’m just-I-“ Eugene immediately rushed himself and Varian away from Fleminguard to some other different spot of the room but another spirit revealed itself from the missing piece Varian held.

“And what makes you think you can escape us.” Another blue spirit crossed his arms and glared at the boys. Varian raised his brows. The spirit before him looked just like him. “You’re you’re my-“

“Dead uncle. Yes indeed my dear nephew.” The spirit even looked as young as Varian did when he was a teenager, only sounded a bit older. “Taran, at your service.”

Shy, Varian waved at his deceased uncle. “Hi.” 

“Well, I never thought my brother would actually settle down.” Taran laughed, ruffling Varian’s hair. 

Varian grabs his hair in defense, “H-hey. Cut it out!” 

Eugene lost his patience, “Okay okay! Cousin Fleminguard, wow that leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Uh can I call you Flem?” 

Fleminguard crossed his arms as if the answer should have been obvious, “No.” 

Not wanting to cross the spirit, “Um okay. Fleminguard, do you think you can uh go tell your buddies to stop disrupting the festival? Please.” Eugene rubs his hands together. He was such a nervous wreck.

“Oh and you think I’m going to stop all this rightful chaos because we’re family? I don’t think so! The spirits deserve to be acknowledged. I myself was actually thinking of getting myself popcorn and watching everyone run for their lives.” 

Taran elbows Fleminguard, “And I would go and join ya.” 

“But you can’t just let them terrorize the kingdom!” Varian cried in desperation. 

“We’re dead, kid. We can do whatever we want.” Taran blatantly stated. Taran swirled around the room, presenting a different timeline. One from where Quirin still lived here.

_ Four kids ran excitedly, playing and yelling joyfully with each other, blatantly ignoring the danger that surrounded them. The black rocks increasingly spread along the sides of the path, chasing the children. A younger Adira, Hector, and Quirin ran enthusiastically down the path. The teenage Quirin stopped to wait for his brother, hyperventilating about the black rocks. “Taran!”  _

Varian watched closely. His younger father beared a small resemblance to him. His hair was brown but as long as Varian’s. Yet, when he looked into his father’s eyes, he could see himself. 

_ “Taran!” Quirin cried once more. From on top of the hill, Taran caught up.  _

“Hey look I’m alive!” Taran's spirit lightened up the mood. 

_ “Stay close Taran.” Quirin warned.  _

_ “Oh come on Quirin don’t be scared! Nothing is going to happen!” _

_ “Nothing aye?” Quirin smirked. “The rocks here are dangerous. You saw what they did to our house. If we don’t keep our guard, we could get killed.” Quirin stressed. _

_ Taran tried to calm his brother down. “Quirin, the rocks have erupted in this kingdom since its birth. They will always be in our lives, which is why we can’t live in fear.” The black rocks erupted more, surging through the grounds.  _

_ “I’ll be holding your hand all the way.” Taran took his brother’s hand. Quirin and Taran ran ahead with Adira and Hector. The ground reacted, quaking to every rock that spurred from the ground. A surge of energy sparked, surrounding the kids.  _

_ “Hector!” Adira ran to him, scared of the rocks. _

_ Taran got caught in the swarm of rocks, dozens surrounding him. He reached his hand out, waiting for Quirin’s to touch his hand. _

_ “Taran!” Quirin yelled. He ran towards his brother, but was too late. The rocks explode.  _

Varian’s pupils dilate, stunned by the loud tragedy replaying before him. Eugene laid his hands on Varian’s shoulders, comforting him, yet Varian stood closer. His father lost his brother to the black rocks. This was the wound that never healed, and scarred Quirin for years. Varian hugged himself. His heart tensed, blood ran fast as his whole body trembled from head to toe. He didn’t know what to make of this. 

Eugene tried comforting him, “Oh Varian, buddy,” but Varian took off. 

Eugene runs after him, luckily for him Varian couldn’t get away too far. Eugene knelt down, grabbing Varian’s shoulders. “Hey. Hey it’s okay. Eugene pulled him in for a hug. “I know, I know. That was heavy stuff kid.” Varian cried. 

The alchemist spoke softly, “I can’t believe he didn’t tell me any of this. I understand now why. He wanted to protect me from this.” Eugene held him closer, stroking his hair. 

“And that is exactly why we are terrorizing the kingdom.” Fleminguard agreed. “You two should know better than to keep the past locked up. None of the spirits will stop until this room is unlocked once again, and the portraits are put where they belong.”

“Until then,” Fleminguard snaps his fingers, and a cyclone of smoke surrounds Eugene and Varian. 

Varian horrified, “Eugene?” 

Eugene calmed him down, “It’s okay kid. What are you doing?” 

“Until all the portraits are restored and remembered by the kingdom, you two shall be frozen here with the rest of our Dark Kingdom history.” Fleminguard darkly spoke.

“WHAT!” Varian bellowed. He looked to his uncle to help as he freezes in place, turning into stone. And Eugene was to suffer the same fate. “Wait wait! We can fix this!” Varian pleaded. His legs had already turned to stone. 

Taran, sorry it has to come to this, “I’m sorry nephew, but you two are the last descendants of the old Dark Kingdom. You never intended for our past to be forgotten. You were always a part of it. Maybe the disappearance of you both will remind the King and the brotherhood of their past.”

Fleminguard raises his arms, “For now, you both shall be under the curse of the stone until our past is fully restored.” 

Eugene froze into stone, particularly a statue. 

The spirits left to join the fray as Varian lifted his head up, hoping they would change their mind but the curse had won. The magic of the stone took its toll and Varian’s eyes turned into stone. Both Eugene and Varian had been left behind, locked away in the past. 

________

Through the foggy air, Hector led the way. “The castle gates should be here.” The eerie moans of the spirits floating through the mist sent chills down Rapunzel and Lance’s spines. 

“These spirits are nothing like I’ve seen before.” Rapunzel admitted. 

“Brace yourselves. These spirits from the past don’t look so friendly.” Hector warned. 

“When have they ever been friendly?” Lance spat out. The mist slowly drifted away from the entrance, revealing the large doors. 

Hector walked up. “We are finally here. If there’s anything that might tell us why the past has resurfaced, it has got to be in the castle.” 

Rapunzel shook her head, never remembering agreeing to such a plan. “Wait what? I thought we were looking for Eugene and Varian!” 

“And we will.” Hector stated without stopping in his path. He pulled on the door. “But we also need to find out why this is happening. Isn’t this what you and your little group do anyway? Try to solve the problem of the day so you can spend the rest of the day celebrating and dancing about your victories.” 

Rapunzel crosses her arms. “No. We usually sing too.” 

Hector scoffed at the Queen and finally opened the door. “You and the Coronians. Always have something to celebrate without repercussions. Yet the one time of the year when the Dark Kingdom is ready to celebrate we get attacked by possibly vengeful spirits.” 

Rapunzel pouts, but walks inside the castle, with Lance following behind. 

“Well looks like no spirits are in here.” Lance noticed. 

“Odd.” Hector muttered. “I was sure they were coming from here.” 

“I hope Eugene and Varian are safe somewhere here too.” Rapunzel shivered. The castle was freezing will all the candles and fire blown out.

“Look around for anything unusual.” Hector advised. A couple of pale blue swirls quietly roamed through the hallways of the castle. Two shadowy figures enlarged on the walls of the portraits. Their wailings froze Rapunzel in fear. 

“What was that?” Rapunzel grits her teeth, balling her fists and anticipating a ghostly challenge. Widening her eyes, she gasped at the shadowy glow on the floor. “Hey hey hey look.” 

The glow reflected in Hector’s eyes, “My word.” He followed the glow as if he was mesmerized by it. Rapunzel and Lance followed it through the halls. The ghostly trail led Rapunzel, Lance, and Hector to a circular bleak room that had no light until the ghost lit the candles, revealing what appears to be a library. The ceiling was dome shaped, and countless books were shelved on the side almost covering the ceiling. Rapunzel couldn’t help but smile. 

“Whoa. That’s a lot of books!” She said. 

“I hope the spirit didn’t lead us here to read.” Lance pouted. 

“This isn’t just the library. It is also the archives. Every record of every citizen and royal member of the family is kept here.” Hector flipped through the books of the records, skimming countless names, some even he didn’t recognize. Rapunzel narrows her eyes at the ghost that cyclone past the books, turning the pages and accidentally pushing them off the desks. The spirit finally took the form of his past self. His appearance stunned Rapunzel and Lance. Hector groaned, for he recognized the ghost clearly well. “Oh no.” He sighed. 

__________

Adira hid Kiera and Catelina in one of the houses of the town. “This should be safe.” Adira said, satisfied with the huge, cramped crowd of people they attempted to fit just in this one house. 

“Yes. Quite.” One of the citizens said. “Safe and cramped.” The man was squished between two other men. 

Quirin and Edmund were still outside fighting off the spirits. Edmund raised his sword, swiping the ghosts away. They wailed as they disappeared and were attacked by the knights. One spirit looked awfully familiar to Edmund, but he swiped him away anyway. “Well that looked like my cousin Ethari. Probably should have apologized for attacking him.” Edmund scratched his head. 

Quirin continued attacking and leading others to the houses. He watched as the father and son Varian helped earlier came to safety. “Quick, over there.” Quirin directed them. 

“Papa, right here!” Caleb hurried himself and his father to the house. 

“Thank you. Come on son.” The father thanked Quirin and led themselves inside. Quirin smiled, watching the family join the rest of citizens. He sighed heavily, wishing his own son was with him now.

Edmund laid his hand on Quirin’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. I’m sure they’ll all be found together safe and sound.” 

_____________

“Va-Va- Varian?” Rapunzel thought.

“No but close!” Taran smirked. 

Rapunzel arched her brow. Taran whooshed back to the middle table, opening the books to a certain page. The spirit disappears. His job is done. 

Rapunzel, Lance and Hector stood upon the opened book. There was a picture in the corner. The man who claimed to be Quirin’s brother was recorded in here, underneath Quirin’s name. 

“That’s Varian’s father.” Rapunzel pointed at the picture of the smiling young man. Next to him, was a picture of his sibling, Taran. 

“Who is that?” Rapunzel asks Hector.

“Taran.” Hector’s tone went dark. “He is Varian’s deceased uncle.” 

Lance looks at the picture. “He looks like Varian.” The young boy in the picture appeared more serious, as if he glared at the painter of the portrait. 

“It’s been so long since we’ve seen him. His name was Taran. He is Quirin’s younger brother.” Hector said. His face wrinkled just remembering this young boy. “It’s been so long. We were just teenagers. We were playing out in the hills and we weren’t paying attention to the dangers of the black rocks.”

Lance’s fingers touched his lip. Rapunzel whispers “Oh no,” knowing there would be an unhappy ending to this story. 

Taran ran into a field swarming with black rocks. Quirin tried to save him but was too late. The rocks exploded, sending all of us down. Taran however got caught in the explosion. It was a day we all wanted to forget.” Hector ran his fingers through the old pictures. They were all so young and naïve back then. “We all learned and grew from this incident. We should have known better than to run into practically a minefield of black rocks, but fun and curiosity got the best of us.” 

Rapunzel flipped the pages, catching every image of the old descendants of the past. Through the flipping, a shiny object fell from the book. Rapunzel bent down, and picked it up. “A key!” 

“Peculiar,” Hector rubs his chin. “Why would a key be hidden in the archives?” 

Rapunzel’s eyebrows rose upward, glancing at Lance, “Maybe to keep something hidden from the past.” Determined to look more into this, Rapunzel urged Hector and Lance to follow her to the corridors of the castle. She jacked the key into different types of doors, waiting for the right click. Finally one door opened. The door screeched as Rapunzel and Lance pushed it open. How many years has it been since it budged, who can tell? The group had come across a moss covered room, filled with old portraits and furniture. The cold air was magnificent, enough for them to see their own breath when they opened their mouths. 

“Thi-this-pl-pl-place isss- fre-free-zing.” Lance shivered, rubbing his arms trying to warm himself up. 

“He-hector?” Rapunzel hugged herself too.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been in this room.” Hector looked around. He recognized some of these names. “I never saw any of these names except in the archives.” Hector scanned the room further. “These are all the old kings, queens, and knights of the Dark Kingdom. All these years, their portraits had been locked away in here.” 

“Are all those spirits,” Lance started, “the ones that are attacking the kingdom right now, the past descendants painted on these portraits?” His voice rose higher.

“That’s it.” Rapunzel concluded. “That must be it. All those spirits are from the portraits locked away in this room, and hidden away in those archives, they are attacking because they were forgotten.” Rapunzel’s eyes widened. “They felt forgotten and have now reemerged.” 

“But why?” Lance asked, terrified. 

Rapunzel tapped her chin, “Hmm.” She gasped, once again coming to a theory. “The Festival of New Beginnings. We are celebrating a new Dark Kingdom, and now the spirits are angry because they fear they will never be remembered again. They’re trying to remind us they still exist. To not forget the past. I think they want these portraits to be put back in the hallway of portraits.” 

“DING DING YOU GOT THAT RIGHT!” Fleminguard rose from the shadows. Rapunzel and Lance screamed in terror. 

Hector recognized this deceased descendant. “Fleminguard?” 

“What!” Lance squeaked. 

“He’s Eugene’s cousin.” Hector informed them. Fleminguard wiggled his eyebrows at the living bodies before him. 

“Oh yeah he’s Eugene’s cousin all right.” Lance crossed his arms, smirking. 

Rapunzel continued looking, trying to avoid eye contact with the spirit. She almost bumps into something rough. She reached out her hand to feel it. She looked more closely and saw a statue. Narrowing her eyes, she gasped when she recognized the armor and hair. Rapunzel reached out her hand, “Eu-Eugene?” Her hands trembled just touching his face made of stone. “No. No.” Rapunzel’s voice choked on tears. “How did this happen?” 

Hector hated to bring more bad news, “Uh, Rapunzel.” He shone a candlelight onto a statue of Varian. Rapunzel covered her mouth. “It seems both Varian and Eugene have fallen under a curse.” 

“Curse!” Rapunzel cried. “But what- I don’t-” Rapunzel sighed. She couldn’t find any sense of this. “I don’t understand. Why them?” Rapunzel studied their statues. 

“Because they wear the mark of the Dark Kingdom emblem.” Fleminguard pointed at the similar armor Varian and Eugene wore. “These are armors of the past, and therefore should be preserved within the past. They represent our past, but no one seems to know this.”

“Well how could they!” Lance freaked out. “Not everyone is going to pay attention to the symbol of armor!!”

Fleminguard crosses his arms, “The point is the past should never be forgotten, no matter how painful it is. It’s part of what makes us who we are. You can celebrate the new days to come, but you can’t push us away!” The ghastly spirit snarled. “Your friends will be nothing but remnants of the past now.” 

Rapunzel wasn’t going to let that happen. “WAIT!” Fleminguard listened. “First off, your cousin Eugene, is my husband. Second, what if we put the portraits back where they belong. We could put them back on the wall and make sure you all are remembered. This room will be empty by midnight.” 

Fleminguard considered their proposal. “Fine. But then and only then will I free Eugene and Varian from the Curse of Stone. Every single one of the portraits must be put back where they belong or come midnight; they will be statues forever. Oh and one little hint sweetie, not all these portraits belong in the castle. Tah tah.” And with that Fleminguard vanished. 

“Okay! You heard him. We have until midnight before Eugene and Varian are frozen in death.” Rapunzel surprisingly said, encouragingly. She rubbed her hands together. “Pick out some portraits and hang them up.” Rapunzel, Lance, and Hector went to work. Rapunzel rolls up her sleeves, picking up a large portrait of some snobby looking King and Queen and says, “Don’t worry guys, we’ll save you.” She looks at the statues and portraits. “All of you.” 

One by one, several of the portraits were put back in the hall with the rest of the portraits that stayed up there. The hallway never looked more decorated. Still locked between Varian’s fingers, was the picture of his uncle. It went unnoticed during the rush to restore the portraits. 

Here, there, everywhere Rapunzel and the others went to put the portraits back up. They hung them up on the walls. In the old rooms, they assured them spots where they couldn’t be completely locked away. Making room for the new, but holding onto the old. Rapunzel and Lance find the portrait of Fleminguard. “Hey it’s Fleminguard! Aww he looked less like a mad man when he was alive.” Rapunzel held it up for everyone to see. “This is actually a really pretty picture.” She looks at the lovely background. “Hmm There’s a fountain in the background.” Lance points out the label on the frame, “The Dark fountain of the Royal Garden, built by Fleminguard the Great.” 

“Oh so Fleminguard built a fountain for the Royal Garden. It looks pretty.” Rapunzel complimented the skills of the frightful cousin but Lance seemed to hurry. Rapunzel then remembered the hint Fleminguard told them. “Wait. Not every portrait belongs in the castle. This portrait must belong in the garden! Oh come on guys let’s go!” Lance groaned as he was dragged by Rapunzel. Hector followed suit. 

__________

The garden’s magical tone impressed Rapunzel. It was very small, and simple to say the least, and was infested with more spirits of the past. They swirled around the garden, chasing people to the brink of madness. 

“They’re over here too!” Lance groaned frustratingly. 

“Guys we just have to put the portrait up somewhere like a wall or near the fountain. It’s not that big.” Rapunzel, Lance, and Hector watched the chaos amidst their walking distance. They didn't think it would be this hard. Rapunzel glanced at the garden, looking for an open spot. 

Lance alerted her, “Rapunzel look at the clock!” They only had about forty five minutes left before midnight. They had to move fast. Squinting her eyes and determined to get through. Rapunzel rushed herself through the garden.

Hector sighed, “Must she always run headfirst into danger.” 

Rapunzel war cried through the mists, holding tight to the portrait. A ghost roared at her, but Rapunzel wasn’t going to take this. “Outta my way!” She angrily commanded. Another ghost from above raised his axe, floating down fast at Rapunzel. Quickly, Hector swiped his sword at it, causing it to disappear. “Is it really so difficult for you to be careful?” Hector exasperated. 

Rapunzel shook her head, annoyed by the ghosts that held them back. “Well Hector I don’t know if you noticed, but we are on a time limit!” 

“Yes well, how about you hear me out. I know where the fountain is. Its water has not run for years so it’s empty and hard to find in this midst. It’s silver with patterns of stems detailed around it. And sometimes you can hear water drops dripping one by one. You have to listen to find it.” Lance finally caught up to both of them. Now we must-“ Hector screamed when more ghosts swarmed around them. “But you’re right. We must hurry.” Rapunzel nodded. Hector was right. They had to be fast, but they had to be smart with their tricks. 

They ran together, using their senses wisely. Rapunzel listened for the drips, but she mostly heard wailings and moanings. Her heart raced as the cold immensely trembled her. The cold, empty thoughts of Eugene and Varian. The thought of them locked away in a room barely visited. Vines and moss grow attached to Eugene and Varian’s statues.  _ Drip. Drip.  _ Rapunzel heard water. She must be close. She thought again. Varian and Eugene, stuck in a cold, dark room.  _ Drip. Drip.  _ Stuck in the room, hopefully not forgotten.  _ Drip. Drip.  _ They are statues now. Hearts not beating and memories now just vanished.  _ Drip. DRIP.  _ Rapunzel was coming closer. Those statues might as well be their graves. And they will be at midnight.  _ DRIP. DRIP.  _ Rapunzel listened. She stared intensely at the mist. The breeze shifted to reveal a beautiful fountain, exactly as Hector described. It certainly was beautiful. Rapunzel grinned. Making a run for it, Rapunzel gestures to Lance and Hector, “There it is!” They all ran but once again were attacked by the ghosts. Rapunzel gripped the portrait, not wanting it to break. “Ugh why can’t they leave us alone?” 

Hector swiped his sword at them. They needed an open area. He decided to stay behind, “You two go ahead! I’ll stay back and stall them.”

“Hector-“ Rapunzel reached out his hand.

“Just go!” Hector directed them. Lance and Rapunzel made a run for it while the ghosts were distracted by Hector. Rapunzel ran to the fountain. She recognized the empty square on the bottom of the structure. It matched the size of the portrait. Rapunzel held out the portrait and hung it right there. It fits. “Right where it belongs.” Rapunzel smiled. She looked around, expecting the spirits to disappear into rest, but they still floated around. “Huh. I thought this was the last one.” Rapunzel took one look at the portrait. Fleminguard built this beautiful fountain, he created something beautiful to bring to the kingdom. Something the people might enjoy. The people who ran for their lives paused to watch the fountain. 

“Now why are you just standing there not running for your life. These ghosts will get you?” An elderly woman scolded Rapunzel.

“I was just appreciating this beautiful fountain. I mean look at it. Somebody dedicated their time and passion to building this for the garden.” Rapunzel acknowledged. 

“That fountain is broken! Water hasn’t come out in years.” The woman argued.

“There’s still some water coming.” Rapunzel could see the drops of water splatting in the dry fountain. “You know, it says here on the portrait, The Royal gardener Fleminguard built this years ago, hoping it would bring the joy this kingdom needed.” 

“Fleminguard.” The woman repeated. Soon the rest of the citizens stopped to look at the fountain and repeated Fleminguard’s name. The spirits swirled around in a cyclone, around the fountain. Hector was finally left alone and went to join everyone else. Instantly, the water of the fountain began flourishing. The spirits were granting water to the fountain, showing off the beauty Fleminguard blessed this kingdom with. The spirits in the garden flew on top of the fountain and disappeared in the form of the water that filled the fountain. What a pretty sight that laid before their eyes. It seemed the spirits were at rest, but appearances are deceiving. 

Satisfied with their work, Rapunzel cockily placed her hands on her hips, “That should do it.” Lance cautioned them the time. “And with thirty minutes to spare.” 

“Okay come on guys. Let’s go find them.” Rapunzel, Lance, and Hector ran to find Eugene and Varian. Rapunzel herself, was most excited. She couldn’t wait to run into the arms of her husband. 

———

Rapunzel, Lance, and Hector return back to the room where Varian and Eugene had frozen to statues. The room was now empty. They had cleared the room completely. Well almost….

Rapunzel and Lance, happy to hug their friends, were shocked to see Varian and Eugene were still statues. They gasped, surprised they were still not done. 

“What I don’t understand!” Rapunzel cried. “We put back every portrait. We even helped everyone remember Fleminguard. What else did we forget? Quick, everyone search the room!” Everyone ruffled through the furniture, looking for a single solitary portrait to put back where it belongs. Rapunzel pulls her hair, anxious they were running out of time. Hector stood quietly in front of Varian’s statue. He touched his stone made hair. The lifeless eyes that stared back at him drenched Hector in pain. This morning the boy was alive and running around with spirit, and now he was nothing but stone. A mere decoration. And poor Quirin. It would be cruel to take away another one of his kin. “How much longer should he bear this?” Hector wondered. He shifted his eyes downward, taking note of an object in Varian’s hand. A small piece of paper. Hector pulls the paper from the hand, careful not to break his hand off. He looked at the paper and gasped. 

Rapunzel rummaged through more stuff, confused and befuddled by what more needs to be done. Hector tapped on Rapunzel’s shoulder, “This was in Varian’s hand.” 

Rapunzel took the paper. It was the picture of Taran, a spitting image of Varian. “This must be the last picture.” She walked up to Varian’s statue. “Varian had it the whole time. His family still needs to be remembered.” Rapunzel looked at the picture. The corner was ripped. “It looks like it was ripped from a portrait.”

Do you think it’s part of one of the portraits in the hallway," Lance suggested.

“I think so.” Rapunzel looked at it. “Come on. We got to hurry.” Everyone followed her out of the room to help find its missing place. They scattered down the hallway, looking for a portrait that was incomplete. 

Instantly, an eerie breeze blew in the brunette’s hair. “No.” Terrified, Rapunzel held tight to Taran’s picture. “I can’t. Not now.” Rapunzel persisted, walking against the breeze, but the mist swarmed.

“Oh come on!” Lance yelled. The foggy air mounted in the room. And spirits came floating amok. 

Almost,” Rapunzel strained, pushing through the wind the spirits pushed against them. Determination was not enough. The wind blew harder, and Rapunzel lost hold of the picture. The piece flew away at the end of the hall.

“NO!” Rapunzel no longer held patience. “Lance we have to get the picture!” Swarms of ghosts blocked her way. Rapunzel and Lance were trapped. 

A bright light blinded Rapunzel and Lance. Hector had come to the rescue and swept through all the ghosts that blocked their way. He breathed heavily and turned to Rapunzel and Lance. “GO!” 

Rapunzel and Lance nodded. They chased down the picture, leaving Hector to once again fight the ghosts.

_______

They moved fast. Reaching out their hands and attempting to grab the picture, but it was as if the wind was their opponent. Lance tried. Rapunzel tried, but the picture blew higher into the air. “Come on Lance!” Rapunzel encouraged. “It’s almost midnight we have to get it!” 

“How do we reach it?” Lance desperately stressed. Rapunzel looked up. She spotted a tree that could be high enough to reach it. Rapunzel smirked, balling her fists, making her way up a tree. 

“Careful Rapunzel!” Lance cupped his hands and yelled to her. She climbed up trying not to fall off a broken branch. The portrait was up there. Right there for her to grab. “There it is. Almost got it!” Rapunzel stretched her hand as far as she could but the wind blew it further. 

“No!” The branch Rapunzel used to reach the picture snaps. Rapunzel screams, holding on to the branch even though it offered no stability. She may have been out of consciousness if it weren’t for Lance’s impeccable timing. He caught Rapunzel as she fell down to the ground, softening her blow. Rapunzel looked up to the night sky. The picture is no longer in sight. She had no clue to which direction it went. 

“No, no.” Rapunzel cried in her hands. Kneeling defeated on the grass. It didn’t matter if she kept going. Even if she had found it, the curse would take its toll. Rapunzel sobbed heavily. Tears welled up in her eyes. All was lost. She just waited for the bell to ring at midnight. Lance closed his eyes, mourning over their loss as well. He bent down to Rapunzel and took her hand. “We have to go back and find Edmund and the others. Maybe they can help.” He spoke softly to her, stifling his tears. He had a lump in his throat. 

“We were so close Lance.” Rapunzel sniffed. “Now they’ll be gone.” 

“Gone, but not forgotten.” Lance held out his hand. “We did our best.”

Rapunzel’s eyebrows bent downward. “There has to be another way.” Rapunzel cried. The tears on her face streamed down gently. “Varian. Eugene.” Rapunzel cried to herself, her sighs trembled, as she tried to get back up, but her heart just dropped. Lance helped Rapunzel stand up and she hugged him for comfort. Lance held her in, comforting her. 

Her face was messy with tears, but her sheer determination stayed clean. She wiped away her tears. “Come on. We have to find Edmund and Quirin. We have to let them know where their sons are.” Rapunzel and Lance headed to the village.

———

The picture of Taran still floated aimlessly through the air. It had reached the village. The spirits still roamed through the village, though it seemed the fog had cleared up. 

Caleb and his father were having soup. Sitting with King Edmund and Quirin were Adira, Kiera, and Catelina. It was almost a new day. It looked like there was no chance for the parade tonight. Caleb slurped his soup, warming up his heart. As he took another spoonful, he spotted the picture floating in the midst. “Huh.” Checking to see if the coast was clear, Caleb sneaked away from the table to go chase the picture. He reached out his hand to grab it. It came to his level. Caleb grabbed hold of the picture. The teenage boy looked familiar to him, “Varian.” He smiled. 

Rapunzel and Lance eventually caught up to the village, the ghosts here were still roaming around. 

“It seems quieter around here.” Rapunzel listened to her surroundings. Her surroundings creeped her out. She then sees the young boy standing in the middle of the street; a ghost wailing quietly around him. Rapunzel gasped and ran to tackle the ghost. “Oh no you don’t!” Rapunzel ran right through, causing it to shrivel and fade away. “You have to be more careful.” 

Caleb lifted his head at her, “Oh I didn’t notice.” 

Rapunzel smiled at him. “No worries.” Rapunzel looked in his hands and spotted the picture. Could it be? “Can I-can I see that?” Rapunzel tenderly asked.

Caleb nodded and gave her the picture. Rapunzel thanked him and when she saw the picture, a glimmer of hope sparked in her eyes. and showed it to Lance. “This is it! Lance we didn’t completely lose it! We can still save them!” 

“But we have to hurry!” Lance pointed at the clock. It was fifteen minutes to midnight. “Alright hurry! Go!” She pushed Lance to get running. 

“Wait! I wanna come with you!” The kid cried. 

“Uh no. It’s too dangerous. Look, thanks for helping us find the picture, but we can take it from here. Trust us, you did more for us than you think.”

“Caleb!” Rapunzel and Lance heard the name from afar. Caleb’s father, along with Edmund and Quirin were obviously looking for him. 

“Your dad is worried. You should get back to him.” Rapunzel advised.

“But this is Varian. I wanna see him-“

“I know it’s complicated but this…” she pointed at the picture. “This isn’t Varian. This is his uncle Taran. He needs to have his portrait back up or else Varian and everyone else will be forgotten, and we need to hurry and put it back. Please, if you really want to help Varian, you’d stay back safely.” Caleb nodded in agreement.

Rapunzel and Lance quickly ran back to the castle. 

Caleb’s father finally found him. “Oh Caleb. There you are. Why did you run off?”

“Rapunzel and her friend needed something that I found. They went back to the castle.” Quirin and Edmund decided to go follow them to the castle. 

______

Five minutes to midnight. Time moved fast, but Rapunzel and Lance moved faster. They frantically rushed through the wall of portraits. Rapunzel didn’t hesitate for one moment. She phased through the ghosts. Hector was still there, fighting them off as fast he could. He cleared the way for Rapunzel to complete the portrait. And there it was. "Quirin, Edmund, Adira, Hector....." She fitted the piece exactly into the place, "And Taran." completing the portrait. All the ghosts then, came together and glowed around the frames of each portrait. The mist cleared. And the ghosts disappeared. 

______

Outside the village, the ghosts one by one disappeared, no longer terrorizing the citizens. Adira let everyone who hid away resurface to the courtyard. 

______

Back in the hidden room, Eugene and Varian started to move. They were reawaken from their frozen states, and back to their normal self. The surface of the statues broke. Varian and Eugene both looked down at their hands and happily at each other. They were saved. 

_________

It had seemed all the spirits of the past left at peace. Fleminguard and Taran resurfaced to thank the group, “Just like you did in the garden, all we ask is you keep telling our stories and not push us in the dark.” Fleminguard smiled. Rapunzel nodded; fair enough to her. After all was said and done, Taran and Fleminguard disappeared, but not before Fleminguard added, “ By the way, my cousin is very lucky to have a wife like you.” 

__________

Varian and Eugene ran out of the room. “Man, it feels so good to get out of there.”

“Heh, yea.” Varian still trembled. He had one, long exhausting day. The bell had struck midnight. 

“Wow it took them the rest of the night to break the curse.” Eugene scoffs. “Pssh, typical fairy tale curse.” 

_ Crack!  _ The floor Eugene and Varian stood on was apparently unstable, and just like that, the wood fell through, sending Eugene and Varian down to the room on the bottom of the stairs. 

___________

Rapunzel and Lance headed up the stairs when they heard two distinct sounds of terrified screaming. Both of them were puzzled, until they saw Eugene and Lance both falling on top of them, and breaking their fall. 

“Ow.” Eugene grits his teeth. 

Rapunzel brushed her hair aside. She grinned widely. “Eugene!” She dived in for a kiss on his lips. Eugene smiled as his wife brushed his hair strand aside. She giggled and nuzzled his nose. Varian sat upright. The left side of his forehead had been scraped from the fall, but was fine. Rapunzel grabbed him in for a hug too. “Oh Varian.” She was happy, so happy both her boys were safe. 

Lance strangled Eugene for a hug, “Come here buddy, I missed you!” Hector strikes his sword on the floor, laying his chin on the handle. Quirin and Edmund finally caught up to the little family reunion. Quirin and Edmund ran to their own sons and hugged them. Countless questions of “Are you okay?” and “I was so worried!” were thrown. Quirin stroked Varian’s hair, looking at his wound. Varian reassured him, saying the scrape was nothing and he was fine. “You really had us worried sick son.” Edmund spoke for himself and Quirin. 

“What was going on here?” Quirin asked. Varian, Eugene, Rapunzel, and Lance all looked at each other. 

“It’s a  _ long _ story.” Eugene emphasized.

“One we’ll tell eventually.” Rapunzel nervously smiled. More piles of rubble fell down on the floor behind them. 

__________

Quirin sat at his table once again. Everyone was reunited with their families. Rapunzel sat with Eugene and Edmund, hearing crazy tales about Fleminguard and the other cousins and grandparents of whom they saw tonight. Eugene asked if Edmund truly knew about the portraits. "Well son, I did. I was taught to let them go and throw away the ones that brought back painful memories. I must admit though, that hallway now looks more vivid and decorated then before. It used to feel like such a void walking through it, but now there is life. Your wife and friend there did a tremendous job restoring the portraits in there rightful place." Edmund proudly looked at Lance and his daughter in law. He then grabbed Eugene in for a hug, "Anything you want to know about from our family's past, I will gladly tell you!"

Caleb once again found himself back to Varian. He wanted to eat dinner with him. Varian told him about the Curse of Stone, as if it was just another one of Xavier’s legends. As they ate dinner, Varian stared back at his dad. He got up from his table and walked over to him. 

“Dad?” Quirin turned all his attention back at his son. Varian swallowed hard. Afraid to ask for he did not want to stir any bad memories. Yet if tonight taught him anything, it’s that he can’t be afraid to look into the past. “Tell me about your brother.” 

Stunned by hearing about his brother, Quirin bit his lip. “Oh. Well let’s see. He was just as rambunctious as you are.” Varian laughed at the statement, leading Quirin to laugh as well. “He was also brave. Never afraid to face danger in the eye. In fact every morning he would wake up and say ‘Time to face danger!’ It’s why it was so hard for me to even stay in my old room. We used to share it, until you know...he died.”

Varian took his father’s hand. “I’m so sorry dad. Those black rocks brought you more pain than I thought. They took away everything you love.”

Quirin chuckled, “Well not everything.” He smiled at Varian. “But it is true. I did want to forget. The memories. They were too much to bear. So the day you were born,” Quirin stroked his son’s cheek. Varian held his hand. “I vowed that day I would protect you from any harm. Your birth brought me a new hope. Hope that I can have a family again. I had a second chance, and I was more determined to protect you, especially since your mother died. You mean everything to me son, and I know I was horrible at showing it, but it is true. That’s why I never told you. I wanted to protect you, and protect myself from the past.” Varian’s tears welled up. “I wanted to forget and just build a hopeful future with the family I had now. After tonight though, I realize now keeping you from the past can bring you just as much harm as anything else. And for that, I’m sorry that happened.” 

Varian looked at his father lowering his head. He jumped right in for a hug. Wrapping his hands tightly around his father’s neck. “I think after tonight, I understand you now more than ever.” Quirin warmly hugged him back. 

Eugene stands in the middle of the courtyard, tapping his wine glass to gather attention, “Okay I think it’s safe to say tonight has definitely been a handful.” Rapunzel held on to his elbow. “So, now I say we put on the parade and celebrate the Dark Kingdom’s new beginnings. My father, and the brotherhood has done a wonderful job rebuilding it back to something glorious and easier to live in. And we are here to celebrate the hopeful future of the Dark Kingdom, but let us not forget our descendants who built this kingdom before us and the descendants of the old kingdom. Those who worked hard to bring joy in our lives," Fleminguard's spirit reappeared on the left of Eugene, watching his cousin deliver a speech. "And those who simply lived their lives to the best of their abilities," Taran appeared on the right side of Eugene, smiling and crossing his arms. "despite the hardships and dangers this kingdom endured.” 

Eugene looked at Varian, Lance, and back at Rapunzel, “Because past, present, or future, the spirit of the Dark Kingdom will always strive on hope.” Eugene kisses Rapunzel and the gang sets out to set up their floats. 

Music played, and people gathered around the courtyard to watch all the different floats that rolled through the streets and the village. Several of the floats included most of the portraits and recreations of scenes written from the archives, to celebrate their descendants. 

Caleb sat on his father’s shoulders, and started waving his hand at the float driven by Rapunzel, Lance, Eugene, and Varian. Kiera and Catelina sat with Lance, pumping the float with the lever. Rapunzel had yellow paint on her cheeks, waving at all who watched. Eugene and Varian showed off their armor on the other side of the float. And when the time came, Varian pressed the button on the metallic cannon, and launched the fireworks into the night sky. The citizens cheered, “oohing and ahhing” at the magnificent sight. 

Fleminguard and Taran nodded at each other with joy and floated up to the night sky, back to rest in peace. 

The night had turned into such a fun, dazzling event. Filled with tears, joy, and laughter, and the most important thing of all. Hope. 

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked it!   
> Also yeah I don't really have the pets in here much lol but they were definitely scattering around somewhere in the kingdom. XD


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